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2019 Lexus RC F 10th Anniversary First Look

How long has the Lexus F performance brand been around? Lexus recently supplied the answer by introducing the 2019 Lexus RC F 10th anniversary special edition, and it reiterated the point by announcing a 2019 Lexus GS F 10th anniversary special edition, too. Available this summer, both are destined to be rare unicorn sightings based on very limited production.

Of the two, the numbers suggest you'll be less likely to find a 10th anniversary Lexus GS F because only 100 will be sold. The 2019 Lexus RC F 10th anniversary special edition will be an easier find, but only fractionally: 240 will be made, a figure that matches the number of U.S. Lexus dealers.

Each car will have an engraved number plaque, of course, but you won't necessarily need to open the door to identify a 10th anniversary special. You'll recognize it easily thanks to the special Nebula Gray matte-finish paint. Lexus has never before offered matte paint on any of its regular production nameplates because such finishes can be a pain to maintain. But the carmaker says it has concocted a matte finish that can survive something as routine as a car wash, even the ordinary mechanized kind. We're not sure we want to test that claim, quite frankly, but we appreciate the sentiment. "You go first" is what we're saying.

If the paint isn't enough of a clue, look for special laser-blue versions of the familiar Brembo six-piston front and four-piston rear brake calipers shared by their non-anniversary kin. These should be easy to spot through the spokes of the special gloss-black versions of the same 19-inch forged alloy BBS wheels the GS F and RC F usually wear. Both are wrapped with the same Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires we've seen before, too.

The blue F theme continues nearly unabated inside, with generous swaths of white-accented and strategically perforated blue leather applied to the seats, the shift knob and the steering wheel. Blue leather with white stitching adorns the instrument panel hood of the RC F, while the dash top of the GS F gets a more liberal dose of a blue suede material. Both get varying amounts of blue-hued carbon-fiber trim pieces as well, and the backdrop to all these treatments is basic black.

None of the changes make the 10th anniversary specials any faster or more capable because they're all cosmetic. The real shame is neither one enjoys a performance boost in a strictly mechanical sense. Their 5.0-liter V8 engines retain the usual RC F and GS F output of 467 horsepower, and both are backed by the same eight-speed automatic transmission. Each holds onto the same variable suspension and rear differential specifications of the F cars on which they're based, too.

Pricing is yet to be determined, and Lexus states that certain GS F and RC F options will be required on the 10th anniversary models. To us that's code for whatever a fully loaded one costs plus a significant bump for the tricky paint and the unique interior. Will the 10th anniversary GS F wander into six-figure territory? It's difficult to fathom. As for the 2019 Lexus RC F 10th anniversary special, it'll probably poke past the $80,000 barrier. Or not. It's hard to get terribly excited when a special-edition model of a performance subbrand doesn't get blessed with any additional performance.